Figment Of His Imagination
by riley-poole27
Summary: Young Stiles Stilinski discovers a werewolf named Derek in his bedroom one night. Derek helps Stiles try to cope with his mother's illness. Imaginary Friend AU.
1. Chapter 1

Stiles was a lonely kid, especially since he only had one friend. Scott, a shy latino boy with severe asthma was his best friend since they were four.

One night in his bedroom, Stiles became convinced that there was someone in his closet. He stared into the darkness, flinching as he thought he saw something move through the partially closed door. He heard the rattle of his hangers brush against each other.

Stiles screamed. His dad ran in, wearing his Sheriff's uniform, and tried to comfort his son. Stiles looked terrified, as he wrapped his arms around his dad's neck.

"Stiles? Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked.

"Daddy, there's someone in my closet!" Stiles whispered, clinging to his dad's shirt. He twisted around to glance back at the inky darkness.

John Stilinski pulled the gun from his holster, and stood up. He walked forward, eyes trained on the partially closed door of the closet.

"Son, get behind me." He ordered, kicking open the closet door. It was empty. Stiles' shirts hung from the metal hangers, and boxes of books and toys filled the closet, but nobody was hiding there.

John sighed, and put away his gun. "I have to go to work now," He said, plugging in his son's nightlight. "The babysitter is already here. You remember Jamie, right? The college kid?" He said, kissing his son on the forehead. "I'll be back in a few hours. Goodnight, Stiles."

"Bye dad," Stiles said, his eyes never leaving his closet. He crawled into bed, grabbing his batman toy, and a book.

Stiles was engrossed in his book, when he suddenly heard the floorboards near his bed creak. The padding of feet, like someone was walking towards him. Stiles dropped the book, and covered his hands over his eyes.

"Monsters aren't real." He whispered, repeatedly. "Monsters aren't real."

Stiles opened his eyes, and realized with shock he was sitting a foot away from a large, black wolf.

"Whoa!" Stiles said, scrambling backwards. He grabbed his book, and tried to swing it at the animal.

The wolf cocked his head to the side, as he watched the small boy swing at him. His tail thumped against the floorboards. The wolf blinked his large eyes, as the boy slowly edged forward.

"Here, boy." Stiles said, sticking his hand out. The wolf licked him, then jumped up on the bed. Stiles laughed as the wolf curled around him, like an over-sized dog.

Stiles was half-asleep, when he realized that the coarse fur underneath him had suddenly vanished. Stiles glanced up, and realized that instead of the wolf, Stiles was curled up against a man in a black t-shirt, and jeans. Stiles sat up, and nudged the man awake.

"Where's the wolf?" Stiles asked, confused. "Who are you?"

"I am the wolf." He replied, his voice low. "Sometimes I look like a person, sometimes I look like an animal."

"Oh." Stiles said, yawning.

"I'm Derek." The man said, smiling at him. "I'm a werewolf." The man's eyes suddenly changed colour, turning to a bright yellow hue.

"Cool!" Stiles said,sitting up. "Maybe I should tell Jamie." He said. "I don't think I should have a stranger in my room."

"She can't see me. Only you can." Derek said, his face serious. "She won't believe you."

Stiles reached out and touched the stubble on Derek's face. The coarse hair tickled his fingertips, and he laughed.

"Of course she can see you, you're real." Stiles said, jumping off the bed.

"I'm invisible to adults. Only you can see me, Stiles." Derek told him, following him into the hallway.

"How do you know my name?" Stiles asked, surprised.

"I heard your dad talking to you, when I was hiding in your closet." Derek said.

"That was you? My dad checked, he said the closet was empty!" Stiles whispered. "You scared me, you know."

"Your dad can't see me." Derek said.

Derek went back into Stiles' room, and picked up the book Stiles' had been reading earlier.

"Aren't you coming downstairs?" Stiles asked. "I want to introduce you to Jamie."

"Don't bother." Derek said. "She won't see me."

Jamie was sitting at the kitchen table, her psychology textbook open. She uncapped her highlighter, and started to mark up the page. Stiles sidled up beside her, and looked down at her textbook. Jamie stopped marking up her book, and looked down at him.

"Jamie, there was a werewolf in my room." Stiles told her, sitting at the table.

Jamie tucked her frizzy black hair behind her ear, and smiled at him. "Really?" she said, in a slightly condescending tone. "Did he bite you?"

Stiles shook his head. "He can turn into a man, and an animal. Can I show you?" He asked.

"You know werewolves don't exist, right? Were you watching scary tv lately?" She asked, following him upstairs to his bedroom.

"I'm not allowed to." Stiles said.

Derek was sitting cross-legged on Stiles' bed. Stiles pointed to him.

"Can you see the werewolf?" He asked.

"No, sorry." Jamie said, smiling down at him.

Stiles walked forward, and put his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Look." He said. "He's sitting on my bed."

Jamie turned around and walked back downstairs. "I have to study, Stiles. Get some sleep." She said.

"Why can't she see you?" Stiles asked, after Jamie had gone downstairs.

"I told you – she's an adult."

"So?"

"Grown-ups can't see imaginary friends. We're invisible to them." Derek told him.

"Can other kids see you?" Stiles asked, sitting beside him on the bed.

"Sometimes." Derek said, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Stiles was sitting at the breakfast table, when Derek appeared in the chair beside him.

"Hey." Stiles said, grinning. "Do you want cereal?" He asked, getting a bowl and spoon for Derek. He was pouring the milk over the lucky charms when Claudia, Stiles' mom, walked in. She smiled at her son.

"Is that for me? Thanks, sweetheart!" Claudia said, about to sit down.

"No, Mom! That's Derek's seat!" Stiles said, anxiously pulling her away.

"Who's Derek?" She asked him, interested.

"My new friend." Stiles said, sitting in his seat. "He's a wolf, sometimes."

"What is he the rest of the time?" She asked, laughing.

"An old guy." Stiles said. "He's like, I dunno. Thirty?"

"That's not old, sweetie." Claudia said, snickering.

"I'm twenty-four." Derek said, picking up a marshmallow.

"He says he's twenty-four." Stiles said, picking up his spoon and shovelling cereal into his mouth.

"Aren't you a bit old to have an imaginary friend?" Claudia asked, looking a bit concerned. Stiles shrugged his shoulders, and kept eating.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Derek." Claudia said courteously, addressing the empty chair.

"You can see him?!" Stiles said, his mouth falling open. He was shocked and elated that finally, someone else was able to see the man.

"She can't. She's only pretending for your sake." Derek explained.

"Can I take him to school? I want to show him to Scott." Stiles asked.

"Sure, as long as your little wolf buddy doesn't interfere with your learning." Claudia said.

"Wanna go to school?" Stiles asked, turning to look imploringly at the werewolf. "Pleeeease?" He asked, clutching his hands in front of him.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Oh my god." He said. "Fine. But I'm not doing any of your schoolwork for you." He said.

As soon as Claudia dropped Stiles off, he ran to find Scott so he could show him Derek. He found his best friend on the swings.

"Scotty! I want you to meet someone!" Stiles said, barely able to contain his excitement as he hopped from one foot to the other.

Scott walked over, and quickly stared up at Derek. "Whoa. Who are you?" He asked, hesitant.

"He's a werewolf." Stiles said, proudly. "He's imaginary. Grown-ups can't see him." Stiles said, beaming.

"I can see him." Scott said. "Why?" He asked, curious.

"Kids can see me, if they want to." Derek said. "But i'm literally a figment of Stiles' imagination. His sub-conscious created me." Derek explained, transforming into his wolf shape.

"Huh?" Scott asked, not really understanding Derek's explanation.

"Umm . . . My brain made him up. But you can see him, cause we're best friends." Stiles said.

In the middle of math class, Stiles asked Derek about being a wolf. He wanted to hear him howl.

"You know, one of the reasons wolves howl, is to signal other wolves in their wolfpack to their location. But i'm an omega wolf – I don't have a pack, cause you only created one imaginary werewolf." Derek said.

"Can we hear it?" Scott asked, turning around in his seat to talk to Derek, who was perched on the windowsill beside the potted plants. Derek threw back his head, and howled a long, mournful sound.

"The omega's howl is the loneliest sound in the world." Derek told them. "Do you want to be in my wolfpack?" He asked.

Stiles and Scott nodded furtively. "We do." They said in unison.

"Let's howl." Stiles suggested, throwing his head back and trying to imitate Derek. AWOOOOOOOOOOO! He howled. The students around Stiles jumped in surprise at the noise, and everyone turned to look at him.

"Do it, Scotty." Stiles whispered, grinning. Scott started to howl as well.

"BOYS! You're interrupting the entire class with that noise!" Mrs. Martin shouted over the sound of two wolf cubs howling. "You can do that outside, at recess. We use our indoor voices in the classroom."

Scott gave the teacher a dimple smile. "Sorry, Mrs. Martin." He apologized, picking up his pencil.


	3. Chapter 3

Claudia went into Stiles' room to tuck him in. "Want me to read you a story?" She asked.

Stiles nodded, enthusiastically. "The Hobbit!" He said, pulling the worn book off his bookcase.

"Derek, do you want to read with us?" Stiles asked. Derek nodded.

Claudia turned to the direction that Stiles had addressed. "What did Derek say, honey?" She asked.

"He said to read to both of us, mom." Stiles said.

Claudia sat on the side of the bed, and read a chapter from the book, voicing all the characters in different voices. When she was done, Claudia went to turn off the light.

"Wait!" Stiles shouted. "Leave the light on. Derek's gonna read me a chapter of his book."

Claudia looked at the clock, and told Stiles he had half an hour. "I'm turning off the light in thirty minutes. You and Derek better be fast, kiddo." She said.

"Goodnight kisses?" Stiles asked. Claudia kissed him on the cheek.

"And Derek too." He insisted, gesturing to the foot of his bed. "This is ridiculous," She muttered under her breath, as she kissed the empty air at the foot of Stiles' bed. Derek leaned forward, so her kiss landed on his cheek.

"He says thanks." Stiles told her, as Claudia left the room.

"What book do you have tonight?"

"David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens." Derek said, opening to the first page.

"That sounds boring." Stiles said, groaning.

"Hey, you're in control of what I'm reading to you. If you want a different author, just let me know." Derek said, amused.

"Okay . . . read me fairy tales." Stiles said. The book in Derek's hands changed to the Brother's Grimm.

"Which story do you want?" He asked.

"Cinderella." Stiles said, jumping up to his feet on the bed.

"Sit down, and I'll start." Derek said, flipping through the book to Cinderella. He lay down beside Stiles on the bed, and lifted the book so they could both see the text. "Once upon a time . . ." Derek started to read.

"Should we be worried about this Derek character?" John Stilinski asked his wife, as they washed a load of dishes. "I mean, he's constantly talking to that invisible werewolf. His teacher called me at work the other day, saying our son and Scott were howling in class. Apparently, Stiles got in a fight on the playground, and told a kid he was going to rip the boy's throat out with his teeth."

Claudia looked up at her husband. "That is strange. I haven't seen Stiles try to harm anyone. But I do admit it's unfortunate that he's been disrupting his classmates."

She set the mug down on the counter. "He is a bit too old for an imaginary friend. He's turning nine in a few days. I'll have a talk with him about the schoolyard incident tomorrow." Claudia said. "I'm sure he'll outgrow this phase soon enough."

"Maybe we should push him to find more friends. It's a possibility that Stiles created this wolf because he's too lonely." John suggested. "He could do with a bit more interaction with his peers."

"Yeah, or a child psychologist." Claudia joked, putting away the cutlery.

Stiles stood up from where he'd been crouched outside the kitchen doorway, and tiptoed back to his bedroom. He shut the door, and flopped dramatically onto his bed.

"What'd they say?" Derek asked, looking at Stiles' troubled face.

"My teacher called Dad. They know about me and Scott howling in class. And Isaac ratted me out. Now they're thinking of calling a child psychologist." Stiles said, looking up at Derek. "Man, I'm in so much trouble."

"Do you want me to go away?" Derek asked, sadly. Derek felt guilty that he'd gotten Stiles in trouble at school, and he wondered briefly if the kid was better off without him. "Would that help, if I left?"

"No." Stiles answered. "I want you to stay forever. You're my best friend, besides Scott of course."


	4. Chapter 4

Derek sat down across from Stiles at the kitchen table, and started to set up his checkers.

"You've been getting some pretty low grades lately." Derek commented, watching the boy place his red gamepieces on the board. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked.

"I can't pay attention in class." Stiles said, squirming around in his seat. "My brain gets distracted alot, and I have trouble listening to the teacher." He said, shrugging. "Besides, it's hard to listen to the teacher all day long, when school is so boring. I'd rather listen to your stories."

Derek moved his checker across the board. "Have you been taking your Adderall?" He asked, as he watched Stiles take his turn.

"Yup." Stiles said.

"If I'm distracting you in class, maybe I should wait outside till recess. So you can focus on your schoolwork instead of listening to my stories." Derek suggested.

"Aww," Stiles said, frowning. "I guess."

For the next few days, Derek sat patiently beside the chainlink fence, at the playground entrance. His head tilted to one side, Derek kept his eyes trained on the classroom window for any sign of Scott or Stiles.

Stiles used the excuse of sharpening his pencil, to stare out the window at the wolf. He waved, and grinned when Derek thumped his tail against the concrete, giving a sharp bark.

"Who are you waving at?" Danny asked, looking curiously out the window. He only saw the empty playground. "There's no-one there." Danny said, looking back to Stiles.

Stiles gave him a strange look. "My Wolf." He said, going back to his desk.

Stiles walked home, and was surprised to see both his parent's vehicles in the driveway. He ran into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. He could hear his parents in the living room, their voices hushed. Claudia and John stopped talking as they listend to their son dig through the fridge. Stiles grabbed a juicebox and a banana, and headed upstairs.

"Come on," Stiles whispered. "Something's important going on." He told Derek, as they sat on the top of the stairs. He sucked back the juicebox, as he listened to them talk. Stiles entwined his hand through Derek's coarse fur, as he sat completely still.

" . . . I just don't know what we'll do if you get sick." John said, sounding terrified. "It sounds like you're getting worse, and the doctors don't know what's wrong with you."

"Shhh," Claudia said. "We don't want to worry Stiles." She said, her voice sounded like she'd been recently crying.

"They scheduled an MRI, hopefully that will give us a better understanding of what exactly this is." John said. "Oh God, Claudia. How are we even going to be able to afford this? I'll have to start taking extra shifts at the station."

Stiles went back to his room, and picked up his walky-talky.

"Scotty, do you read me?" He asked. "Scott, this is important."

"Loud and clear, Stiles." Scott answered. "I read you."

"Something's wrong with my mom. I think she's sick." Stiles said. "I'm going to your house."

"Okay."

"Mom! I'm going to Scott's!" Stiles shouted, as he grabbed his bike and helmet off the porch.

"Be back by supper!" Claudia called out to him, as he pedaled furiously down the street. Derek padded alongside him on the road, easily keeping up with him.

Scott and Stiles asked Melissa, Scott's mom, if they could go biking to the park across town.

"Sure." She said. "Scott, I need you back by nightfall. It's a school night."

Scott scratched Derek behind the ears. "Hey, Derek." He said, snapping on his helmet strap under his chin. They coasted down the hill, letting go of their handlebars as they flew down the road.

Stiles repeated what he'd overheard to his best friend, as they climbed onto the playground equipment.

"Are you worried about your mom?" Scott asked, as they hung upside down from the monkey bars. "That's pretty scary." He said.

"Yeah." Stiles said. "What if she dies or something? Grown-ups aren't supposed to die, especially not parents."

"My grandma died a few years ago." Scott said, pulling himself up.

"Yeah, but she was super old, though." Stiles reminded him. "Mom's like, thirty five."

"When's her MRI test?" Scott asked.

"I dunno."

It was starting to get dark out, so the boys biked back to Scott's house. Scott hugged Stiles, and told him to call him on the walky-talky as soon as he knew if Claudia was going to be okay or not.

"See ya!" Scott said, running up the steps to go to dinner. Stiles pedaled to his house, and locked his bike in the backyard.

"Mom! I'm home!" Stiles hollered, as he kicked off his sneakers, and went up to his bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

Claudia sat down beside Stiles on the couch, and pulled out a pad of paper.

"Alright," She said. "Who do you want to invite to your birthday party?"

Stiles thought for a moment. "What's the maximum kids I can ask?" He said, trying to figure out which of his classmates he'd have to cut out of the party.

"You can have eight kids." Claudia said. "Firstly, let's put Scott on here. Now we have seven more kids to invite."

"Lydia." Stiles said, his eyes lighting up. "And Isaac."

She wrote down the names, and waited patiently while he mulled it over.

"Oh! Danny! Simon and Abigail from down the street. And Jackson. And Derek." Stiles said, excitedly bouncing in his seat. She wrote all the names down, and looked over.

"Okay, do you want to go bowling like last year, or go to the swimming pool for your party?" Claudia asked.

"Swimming." Stiles said, grinning from ear to ear.

They went to the store to buy invitations, and candy to put in the goody bags. Stiles picked out two bags of balloons, and some streamers.

"What do you want on your birthday cake?" Claudia asked, as they checked out the bakery section. Stiles flipped through the binder, until he found the Batman cake . He'd had his heart set on it for weeks now.

"This one, definitely." He said, showing her the picture.

"That looks awesome." She said, as she ordered the cake.

The day of the party, Stiles was so excited that he was officially nine years old. He raced downstairs, and hugged his mom as she flipped the pancakes on the stove.

"Hey, honey." She said. Stiles couldn't help but notice how exhausted she looked, there were large bags under her eyes, and she looked bleary-eyed.

"Mom, did you sleep at all last night?" Stiles asked, concerned. "Was it another nightmare?"

Claudia winced when she saw how upset her son was, as she put the browned pancake onto his plate. "It's nothing to worry about, I just had trouble sleeping last night." She said, giving him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Stiles didn't look convinced, as he continued to watch her during breakfast.

"Are you all ready for your party?" Claudia asked him, trying to distract him from her lack of sleep. "Wonder what you'll get for your presents."

Stiles and his friends thoroughly enjoyed the party, from the batman cake to the blue and black balloons and streamers, to the candy-filled goody bags for each child. They swum in the public pool for two hours, playing monkey in the middle, and practising dives off the diving board.

Stiles laughed gleefully, as he ripped into his presents. He received a lego set, and some new cd's, from Jackson and Danny. He also received three books, and a lightsaber toy.

As the adults were cleaning up from the party, Scott pulled Stiles aside.

"Dude, did your mom have the MRI yet?" he whispered. "She looks so tired."

Stiles shook his head. "I don't think so." He told him. "I think her nightmares are getting worse, though." He said, remembering the nights he woke up to hear his mom screaming in the next room. Stiles often wondered what she was dreaming about – what had terrified her so much.

"I'm scared, Scott." Stiles admitted, staring at his best friend. "What if I lose her?"


	6. Chapter 6

Stiles was doing his homework in his room, when he heard the phone ring. He instantly jumped out of his seat, and hurried into the hallway.

"I got it!" He heard his dad shout from the living room. Stiles picked up the receiver, and listened in.

". . . Dr. Ford, Glad to hear from you." John said. "Do you have the MRI results?" he asked, sounding anxious.

"I do, John. It's not looking good." Dr. Ford said, sounding apologetic. "We believe Claudia has what is called frontotemporal dementia." He said. "Her frontal and temporal lobes in her brain are shrinking, which is why she's been having those nightmares, and massive headaches."

"What do we do? Is there surgery or something?" John Stilinski asked, hoping for good news.

"Unfortunately, there is no cure for FTD. There's nothing we can do for her. She will eventually have to be hospitalized, i'm so sorry, John." Dr. Ford said. "We don't know how long she'll live. It may be months, or years."

"There must be something you can do." John pleaded, the voice of a desperate man.

Stiles carefully hung up the phone, and went into his room.

"Scott?" He said on the walky-talky. "Please answer me. I'm freaking out right now."

After a few minutes of silence, the radio crackled to life. "Stiles, what's up?" Scott asked.

"My mom might be dying. I'm coming over." He said, putting on his hoody and going downstairs. Stiles saw his dad was still on the phone with Dr. Ford, and he slipped out the front door.

"Okay, tell me again what you heard." Scott said, sitting cross-legged beside his friend.

Stiles took a deep breath, and started from the beginning.

"We should research it." Stiles said, hopping off the bed, and prying open the lid of Scott's laptop. "If my parents aren't going to fill me in on what's going on, I'm gonna find out as much as I can about this disease on my own." He said, opening google and Wikipedia.

When Melissa came home from work, she found the two boys working hard at the computer. Scott jumped up to greet her.

"We're doing a science project." He lied, as she curiously glanced at the screen.

"Really?" She asked, wondering why her son looked so flustered. Looking at the screens, she found six tabs of medical websites. "That's some heavy reading material, Stiles." She said, smiling down at him. Stiles shrugged, and continued reading. "Okay, well, have fun guys." She said.

As soon as she left the room, Stiles took a swig of his pepsi, and glanced over to see Derek sitting on Scott's bed. He suddenly had an idea.

"Derek, how do you turn someone into a werewolf?" Stiles asked.

"The Alpha needs to bite the person. And if they survive the bite, they become a Beta or an Omega."Derek said.

"You have to give her the bite." Stiles insisted.

Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I can't."

"Why not?" Scott asked. "What if it saves her?" He asked, hopeful.

"You're forgetting that i'm imaginary. I can't actually bite anyone even if I wanted to." Derek said, scowling at the kid.

"You have to do something. We have to save her. She's my _Mom_, Derek." Stiles said, standing up. "Please."

Derek shook his head.

"I don't mind if mom's a werewolf. I'll take care of her on full moons." He said, pleading.

Derek stood up, and wrapped his arms around Stiles. He pulled Scott forward by his t-shirt. "Come here." He said, hugging both nine year olds in a bear hug.

"I'm really sorry about your mom." Derek said, finally releasing them.

There was a knock on the door, and John Stilinski walked in. "Stiles, I've been looking everywhere for you." He said, as his son glanced uneasily at the laptop.

"Hey, Dad." Stiles said, closing the lid on Scott' s laptop before his dad could see what they'd been researching.

"It's nearly suppertime, grab your coat." John said.

Scott and Stiles exchanged a quick look as Stiles followed his dad out of the room.

"I'll call you later!" Stiles said, as he walked down the stairs. "Bye, Melissa."

Stiles got into the backseat of his dad's vehicle, and buckled his seatbelt.

"What say we go to McDonald's?" John asked, looking to his wife.

Stiles gave his dad a suspicious look. "We never go to mcDonald's." Stiles realized his parents were probably treating him so they could break the news about Claudia's illness.

"Is this about the MRI results?" Stiles asked. John turned around in his seat to look at him, surprised.

"I heard you on the phone earlier. Frontotemporal Dementia." Stiles explained. "Mom, you're dying, aren't you?" He said.

"Yeah." Claudia said. "I am."

"We don't know how long she has. Months or years, maybe." John said, defeated. "She's going to be in the hospital for a long time."

They drove to the restaurant, and Stiles chose a booth near the back. He took a sip of soda, his appetite gone.

"Are we gonna be okay?" Stiles asked. "Mom usually drives me to school, and helps me with homework and stuff." Stiles said, trying to envision his dad taking on both parental roles. Being a single parent.

"We're gonna have to learn to adapt." John said. Stiles slid out of the booth, and hugged his mom tightly. "I love you, mom." He said. Stiles let go, and hugged his dad. "I love you, dad." He said.


	7. Chapter 7

Claudia started to go to the hospital more often over the next few months, and eventually was admitted after she'd gotten worse. Every day after school, Stiles would take the bus to the hospital, and do his homework while he visited her.

Most days, she seemed like herself, happy, and full of love for her young son. Some days, though, she didn't seem to know who he was. Those were the most difficult for Stiles, as he lingered in the doorway of his mom's hospital room, wanting to rush to her side.

Stiles was grateful that Scott's mom, Melissa, worked as a nurse at the hospital. She kept him company on her breaks, and even helped him with his homework a few times.

"Stiles, you're still here?" Melissa asked, surprised, as he walked past the nurse's station. "Is your dad coming to pick you up?"

"He's at work." Stiles said, leaning his elbow against the counter.

"Do you want a ride?"She asked, looking briefly out the window. It was a cold, windy night.

"Okay." Stiles said, watching as she grabbed her jacket and they headed out to the parking lot.

"Did you finish your math homework?" Meliss asked, giving Stiles a smile. He nodded, looking out the window.

"What are you having for supper?" Melissa asked, as she drove.

"I dunno. A sandwich, maybe." He said, playing with the straps on his backpack.

"If you want, I can drop you off at my house. There's meatloaf in the fridge for Scott and I, if you'd rather have that. Scott rented a few video games yesterday." Melissa said, glancing at him.

The idea of going to Scott's house sounded way more appealing then going to his own empty, lonely house. "Sure." Stiles said, perking up a bit. "Can I sleep over?" He asked.

"You'll have to call your dad at work, and ask him." Melissa said, pulling into her driveway, and watching Stiles bounce up to the front door and let himself in.

Stiles drew his blanket up to his neck, and squeeze his eyes shut. He was filled with worries about his parents, to the point where he had a massive headache.

"Do you want me to read to you tonight?" Derek asked, standing over him. Stiles shook his head.

"Not tonight."

"You wanna talk at all?"

Stiles rolled over, and looked up at Derek. "I'm scared, and my head hurts. I just want to sleep forever." He said. "Go away, Derek."

Derek turned into a wolf, and curled up beside him on the bed. He quietly watched Stiles until the boy finally fell asleep.

John walked into Stiles' room at seven AM, and gently shook his son awake. Stiles rubbed his eyes, and frowned up at him.

"What?" He asked, groggy.

"Get up for school," John told him. "I have to leave in half an hour for work."

Stiles dragged himself out of bed, and changed into jeans and a blue plaid shirt. He wished he could stay home, and watch TV all day, and try and ignore the fact that his mom was in the hospital.

"I don't feel good," Stiles said, as he poured himself a bowl of corn flakes. The sun hadn't come up yet, and it was dark and cold outside.

"Son, you have to go to school. You're not sick." John told him, as he rushed around the kitchen making their lunches.

"How do you know? I could have the chicken pox or something." Stiles said, watching his dad slather the bread with mustard.

"You had it when you were three." John reminded him. "Eat your cereal."

"Can I skip school, and go to the hospital instead?" Stiles asked, looking forlornly at his untouched bowl. "I wanna talk to mom."

John stopped making the sandwiches, and turned around to face Stiles. "I know this is hard for you." He said. "Go to school. Have fun with your friends. I'll take you to see her all day tomorrow, I promise."

Stiles sighed, as he took a spoonful of cereal. "Fine." He said.


	8. Chapter 8

Stiles hesitantly entered the hospital room, and walked over to his mother's side. She was asleep. Stiles grabbed the chair and dragged it closer to the bed, then plopped himself down. He opened his backpack, and took out a framed photograph of the Stilinski's, and a pile of Claudia's favourite books. He placed them on the nightstand.

Stiles took out his ratty old teddy bear, and placed it on beside the photograph. He hadn't played with that bear since he was five, but he was hoping that it would make Claudia smile. Maybe even make her a bit less lonely, when Stiles was at school or at home.

He turned around, and realized that Claudia was awake. Her face lit up as she watched him putter around the hospital room, attempting to make it more like home.

"Hey," She said, glad to see him. "How was school?"

"Boring." Stiles told her, with a serious look on his face.

His mom looked so frail, and so much thinner than she should be. Stiles dug into his backpack, and pulled out the three chocolate bars he'd bought at the vending machine in the hallway.

"Snickers or Payday?" He asked, putting the bars onto her blanket.

"Payday." Claudia said. Stiles unwrapped the bar, and broke off a piece for her. He hoped the nurses wouldn't come in to check on them, in case he got in trouble for giving his mom junk food. Claudia hated the hospital food.

Claudia glanced over at the table beside her bed, and noticed that Stiles had brought the framed family portrait they'd taken last Christmas. She reached for the teddy bear, and hugged it to her chest.

"Aww, I haven't seen this little guy for so long!" She exclaimed.

"In case you get lonely." Stiles explained. "He can keep you company."

"Thanks, honey." She said. She picked up the picture, and looked sadly at it. Claudia wished her husband was here as well, but she knew he had to work.

"My brave little Stiles." Claudia said, touching Stiles' cheek. "Promise me you'll take care of your dad for me after i'm gone." She said.

Stiles nodded, gravely. "Of course, mom." He said.

"I love you. " She told him. "I'm so proud of you."

Stiles picked up one of the books, and held it up. It was his battered copy of the Hobbit.

"Would you like me to read to you?" He asked, mimicking the tone she used when she asked him every night. "I believe we're on chapter ten."

Claudia patted the mattress beside her, and Stiles quickly clambered up onto the hospital bed. He leaned against Claudia's shoulder,as he started to read to her. She reached down and clutched his free hand. Claudia smiled, and closed her eyes as she listened to Stiles read.

When Stiles woke up a while later, he felt disoriented for a moment before realizing he was still in the hospital. He scrubbed his eyes, and looked over at his mom. She was still holding his hand, her grip slackened.

"Mom?" Stiles said, in a small voice. She was dead.

Stiles crawled out of the bed, and walked down the hall to the nurse's station. There was a tall, blond nurse sitting at the desk. He didn't recognize the man.

"Is Melissa here? I need to talk to her." Stiles said.

"She's on break. What can I do for you?" He asked. Stiles shook his head.

"I wanna talk to Melissa. Can you page her?"

Stiles waited until Melissa showed up at the desk.

"Hey," Melissa said, looking down at Stiles. "What's going on?"

"My mom's dead." Stiles said, the words spilling emotionless out of his mouth. "I fell asleep reading to her. She's dead."

They walked back to Claudia's room, Melissa's arm around Stiles' shoulder.

He still felt nothing, like he was hollow on the inside. Why wasn't he crying? Didn't normal people scream and yell on tv when family died? Something must be wrong with him, he thought to himself, as he watched with a detached disinterest as Melissa covered Claudia with a sheet, and officially called time of death.

"I'm so sorry, Stiles." Melissa told him, hugging him. "I need to call your dad. I'll be right back." She told him, ushering him to a seat in the hallway. He sat, watching as she rushed back to the nurse's station to call John.

He stood up, wandered down the hall. Past the vending machines where he'd bought his mom chocolate bars a few hours ago. Past the gummy-toothed old woman who always mistook him for her grandson. He wanted to be alone, so he locked himself in the bathroom. Stiles turned the lock, and slid down the cold, tiled wall until he was sitting on the floor. Stiles drew his knees up to his chest, and closed his eyes.

"Derek, I need you." He said, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. "Please, Derek." After a minute, He could feel the wolf's hot breath on his cheek, and Stiles opened his eyes. He threw his arms around Derek's neck, and buried his face into the coarse, black fur.

"She's dead." Stiles said, muffled. "Why can't I even cry for my mom's death? I'm a heartless freak."

"Stiles." Derek said, shifting back into a human. "People respond differently to grief. That doesn't make you a freak. You definitely have a heart." He said, wrapping his arms around Stiles. He could smell the stench of fear emanating off the kid, could feel Stiles' racing heartbeat thud against his ribcage.

"Come here." Derek said, scooping up Stiles and putting him in his lap. Stiles curled against Derek's chest, his face buried against his leather jacket. "I already miss her." Stiles whispered, and he started to bawl, his tears soaking the front of Derek's blue henley.

"Shhh, it's gonna be okay." Derek murmured, as he gently rocked the boy back and forth. "It's okay." They sat quietly for another twenty minutes, until Stiles' sobs finally slowed down, his breath hitching.

"Sorry," Stiles said, wiping his snotty nose on his own t-shirt. He pulled away from Derek a bit, and wiped the teartracks off his face.

"Your dad's gonna be here soon." Derek told him, as they both stood up. Derek turned on the faucet, and Stiles washed his face. He felt like crap.

"You need to be there for him," Derek said. "I'll wait with you till he gets here, but then I'm gonna go away for a while. Not forever." Derek told him, watching sadly as Stiles clutched Derek's arm.

"Don't go! I need you!" Stiles insisted, desperate. "I don't want to be alone."

"You're not." Derek said, firmly. "Right now, your dad needs you then ever. You can't rely on the company of your own imagination at a time like this. Reach out to him." Derek said, as they walked back to the chairs. "The pain you are feeling, that's something he will also be going through right now."

"Don't go. Please. I'm begging you. I need you." Stiles whispered, looking imploringly at the werewolf.

Derek glanced up, and saw John Stilinski running up the hallway.

"I'll be back later." He said, vanishing.

John stopped short when he saw his son sitting miserably in the hospital chair. Stiles was staring numbly at the floor, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his over-sized plaid shirt. Stiles glanced up, and saw his dad standing there.

"Daddy!" Stiles yelled, nearly tripping over his own feet as he rushed forward to hug him. John dropped to his knees, as his son threw himself into his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh, my precious wnuczek Stiles!" Babcia exclaimed, hugging Stiles in a warm embrace. "You've grown so big, now!" She said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Stiles hadn't seen his paternal grandma, Babcia, for two years. She'd flown in from Warsaw, along with her two sons, to pay respects at Claudia's wake. She rarely traveled out of Europe, since she hated airplanes. The elderly woman had her silver hair loose around her face, and she was holding an enormous casserole dish under one arm.

" Love you, Babcia, Kocham cie Babciu," Stiles told her, following her into the kitchen as she started to rearrange the fridge to fit her casserole dish. His polish was a bit stilted from not using it very often, but he was still able to communicate with his extended family in their native tongue.

Stiles grabbed a handful of sugar cookies, and wandered into the living room. He was glad to see some of his classmates and their parents. He waved at Greenburg, and Danny Mahealani. The entire house was filled with Claudia and John's relatives, as well as many friends from Beacon Hills.

The doorbell rang, and Stiles quickly ran to answer it. Probably more of his father's friends or coworkers. Stiles was glad to see Melissa and Scott standing on the front steps, holding a large bowl of potato salad.

"Scotty!" Stiles said, hugging his best friend. Melissa went into the kitchen to help Babcia set up the food, as both boys sought refuge upstairs in Stiles' bedroom.

"The whole town's here," Scott joked, sitting on his friend's bed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Stiles said, automatically. "No, I'm not." He admitted, sitting beside Scott. He grabbed one of his pillows, and hugged it tightly against his body.

"Where's Derek?" Scott asked. "Is he downstairs?"

"No." Stiles said. "He left for a while."

"Oh. When's he coming back?" Scott asked, confused.

"I don't know." He said.

A few weeks later, Stiles and Derek were hanging out in the playground. Stiles sat on the swing, his feet scraping in the dust below him. His fingers clutched the metal links tightly, as he took a deep breath. Derek could see the kid was trembling, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"You okay?" Derek asked, watching as Stiles struggled to suck in air. "I think you're having a panic attack again."

"I think i'm dying." Stiles whispered, terrified.

"You gotta breathe." Derek said, kneeling in front of him.

"That's it," Derek coached, watching Stiles slowly exhale. "Keep your breathing even." He instructed, watching the kid slowly start to become less panicked.

"See, you're gonna be okay." Derek said, listening to Stiles' heartbeat start to slow down. "We'll get through this." He said, hugging the kid.

Derek sat on the empty swing beside Stiles, and started to kick his feet. "Race you!" He challenged.

"No fair!" Stiles pouted. "Your legs are too long!"

Derek jumped off the swing, and landed on the grass. "We need to get home." He said, looking up at the sky. It was sunset, the sky was mottled with pink and orange hues.

"Catch me!" Stiles said, launching himself off the swings and into Derek's arms.

"Uhmphf!" Derek grunted, catching Stiles under the armpits and putting him on the ground. They walked back to the house, and Stiles kicked off his shoes. He sniffed the air, smelling something acrid.

"Dad? What's burning?" He shouted. John sniffed the air, and threw down the pile of paperwork onto the table.

"Oh, my god." John yelled, throwing open the oven door, and pulling out the blackened sausages. "Damnit, I wrecked them, they're not even salvagable." He said, cringing at the destroyed food.

Stiles opened the cupboard, and pulled out the box of captain crunch. "We have cereal." He said, watching John scrape the burnt food into the garbage can. They brought their bowls of cereal into the living room, and watched cartoons.

"Sorry for wrecking dinner." John said, glancing apologetically at his son. "I wanted to make something special for supper."

"It's okay," Stiles said. "Maybe you should teach me to cook, so I can help out more."

"It's my job to take care of you." John reminded him. "I'm the parent."

Stiles looked up at his dad, surprised. "Well, yeah, but we're family. I have to take care of you."

"Eat your cereal, Stiles. It's almost bedtime." John said. "We'll get through this together." He said, putting his arm around Stiles.


End file.
